Dr. Venu Akuthota is a physiatry (physical medicine & rehabilitation) and sports medicine specialist. Patient reviews placed Dr. Akuthota at an average of 5.0 stars out of 5. His areas of expertise include the following: back pain, osteoporosis, and sacroiliac (SI) joint pain. He is professionally affiliated with CU Medicine and The Spine Center - Anschutz. He accepts several insurance carriers, including Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic. His education and training includes medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University and residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. Distinctions awarded to Dr. Akuthota include: Best Paper, North American Spine Society and Golden Goniometer Academic Teaching Award, Dept of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Nader Shourbaji's specialties are hand surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery. He is rated 5.0 stars out of 5 by his patients. He is especially interested in hand surgery procedures, arthritis, and fractures (broken bones). Dr. Shourbaji's professional affiliations include Lone Tree Health Center, the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), and CU Medicine. Dr. Shourbaji honors Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic, in addition to other insurance carriers. He graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and then he performed his residency at a hospital affiliated with Emory University. Dr. Shourbaji (or staff) speaks the following foreign languages: Arabic and Spanish.

Dr. Gail Albertson's area of specialization is general internal medicine. Her clinical interests include gastrointestinal problems (digestive disorders), menopause, and migraine. Dr. Albertson is affiliated with the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) and CU Medicine. She is an in-network provider for Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic, as well as other insurance carriers. Dr. Albertson attended the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and subsequently trained at a hospital affiliated with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) for residency.

The specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) is not one that many people are immediately familiar with, yet it is one that serves thousands of people every year. Also known as Physiatry, it is sometimes simply referred to as Rehabilitation or Rehab. This specialty focuses on restoring quality of life for patients who are experiencing physical pain or loss of function after a traumatic illness or injury. After major surgery, a car accident, a long illness such as cancer, or a major change to the body (such as the loss of a limb), it is the PM&R physicians who help patients begin to feel better and put the pieces of their life back together again.

PM&R physicians work with patients who have been disabled by pain or the loss of motion or cognition, and they find ways to restore function. They may consult with other physicians such as neurologists, orthopedists, physical therapists, or psychiatrists. PM&R specialists treat the whole person, not specific symptoms or illnesses, and their goal is to help patients lead active and able lives.

One example of services performed by a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician is teaching a patient who just had a leg amputated how to get around the house, use the bathroom, bathe, and care for themselves. A different example might be helping a patient learn how to walk again after a traumatic brain injury. Because there are so many different causes of pain and disability, the list of services provided by PM&R physicians is nearly endless. Generally, services that are provided by a PM&R specialist can fall into one of the following care categories:

Self-care skills (bathing, grooming)

Physical care (feeding, taking medication)

Mobility

Respiratory care (ventilator care, exercises for lung function)

Communication

Cognitive skills (memory, problem solving)

Vocational training

Pain management

Psychological counseling (adapting to a disability)

Because there are so many options, it can be a very creative specialty. When accidents, pain, or illness cause disability, it is the physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists who are there to give patients their life back.

Our hands are not only incredibly useful and important for our daily functioning, but they are complex and delicate parts of our body. It can take a specialist to keep the hands functioning at their best. Hand surgeons are general, plastic, or orthopedic surgeons who have received additional training specifically in the care of hands, wrists and forearms.

Surgery is not the only care that a hand surgeon provides. Hand surgeons might prescribe medications, physical therapy, or splints and braces as well as surgery, depending on the condition. They care for a wide variety of issues affecting the hand or forearm, which may include:

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Arthritis

Fingers that cannot be straightened, such as with Dupuytren’s contracture

Deformities of the fingers, such as syndactyly (webbed or fused fingers) or polydactyly (extra fingers)

Wrist or hand pain

Serious injuries of the hand or wrist, including burns and sports injuries

Reattachment of severed fingers or creation of prosthetics

We use our hands to interact with the world in a number of ways. In order to do so, we need our hands to maintain a high level of both movement and sensitivity, and that requires all of its bones, muscles, and nerves to be working properly. Hand surgeons keep this delicate and important equipment functioning.

Neurosurgery is the highly skilled specialty devoted to the surgical treatment of issues affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. It is similar to the specialty of neurology, which also treats disorders of the nervous system. Even though there is some overlap, neurosurgery focuses on the surgical treatment of nervous system disorders. However, not every neurosurgery job means surgery -- neurosurgeons may also provide a diagnosis, interpret imaging and test results, or provide non-surgical treatment, depending on the nature of the illness.

Neurosurgeons treat nervous system disorders such as:

Traumatic brain injuries

Brain or spine tumors

Blood clots in the brain

Hydroencephalitis

Aneurysms or stroke

Seizures

Spinal cord injuries

Carpal or cubital tunnel syndromes

Repair of severed nerves

Infections of the brain or spinal fluid

Because the nervous system is both so delicate and so complex, neurosurgery has one of the most rigorous and competitive medical education programs. After college and medical school, it is common for a neurosurgeon to require 7-10 additional years of intense training.

New discoveries in this field allow neurosurgeons to heal and accomplish more than ever before, and they are now able to treat many injuries and illnesses that were once fatal.

Orthopedic surgeons, sometimes just called orthopedists, are surgical doctors of the musculoskeletal system. They work to keep your body active and in motion by treating problems with your bones, joints, tendons and muscles. The most frequently treated disorder seen by orthopedic surgeons is osteoarthritis, a common “wear-and-tear” problem where the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down, causing friction and pain. Orthopedic surgeons might also see patients for bone and joint deformities, amputation, infections of the bone and joint, overuse injuries, or nerve compression.

Orthopedic surgeons can order tests such as blood work and x-rays to get a clearer picture of the issue. Depending on the illness or injury, more than one different form of treatment may be used. Treatment may include:

Surgery, such as fusing bones together to increase stability, or replacing a joint

Medication, such as pain medication or steroids to promote healing

Casts, splints, or orthotics (devices such as braces or shoe inserts to support the body)

Physical therapy, a kind of treatment using exercise, stretching, heat, and massage to heal the body

Exercise, stretching, movement, and use of the affected part

Orthopedic surgeons also work to prevent injuries and slow the progression of disease in their patients. They educate patients on ways to prevent future injuries, and they treat illness in order to prevent further damage to bones or joints that may be affected by disease. The goal of an orthopedic surgeon is to help their patients restore movement and regain an active life.

Sports medicine is the specialty that promotes physical fitness and activity while managing, treating, and preventing injuries that happen during exercise or participation in sports. Sports medicine fosters wellness and fitness and works to inhibit injury. A sports medicine specialist may work with professional athletes, school sports teams, individuals who participate in sports on the weekend for fun, or someone who is just beginning to exercise for the first time. Although their main focus is on musculoskeletal function, sports medicine specialists also care for patients’ full medical and nutritional needs as they relate to their active lifestyle.

Some examples of the kinds of injuries and issues that a sports medicine specialist might see in their work include:

Acute sports injuries (sprains, fractures)

Overuse injuries (tendonitis, bursitis)

Head injuries (concussion)

Heat injuries (heat stroke)

Athletes with chronic illness (asthma, diabetes, heart disease) and how their illness is affected by exercise

Nutrition and the use of supplements

Developing a safe exercise plan for obese or sedentary patients

Substance abuse of performance-enhancing drugs

Teaching proper form and technique to reduce the chance of injury

Sports medicine specialists often work closely with orthopedic specialists, and the scope of their work can have some overlap. The main distinction is that orthopedic specialists can perform surgery when it is needed, while sports medicine specialists focus on non-surgical solutions for injuries.

Whether they are the team physicians making sure every professional player is performing safely and at their best, or community specialists getting you back in the game after a sprained ankle, sports medicine doctors are there to make sure you’re in good condition to lead an active life.